Present packing, shipping, storage and displaying techniques have made it desirable to design the packaging material necessary to protect individual containers at each one of the above stages in such a way that even containers which are prone to bulging or creeping, e.g. polyethylene bottles, are protected while also providing maximum flexibility in the use of the individual constituents of the packing material during the various stages of the container's life.
Generally, the manufacturer of the containers differs from the user of the containers so that the empty, possibly fragile, containers have to be transported from one place to another. Subsequently, the empty containers have to be transported along the filling line and, after sealing, palletized in such a way that the total pallet load is suitable for storage, shipping and sales point display.
This situation makes it desirable that at least one of the constituents of the packing material is of such a nature that it can accommodate the containers at the different stages of their useful life; from the limited surface area of a filling line to the larger surface area of a pallet. In addition, it is highly desirable that the required handling operations be automated. Furthermore, it is highly desirable that the materials of the individual packing constituents be reduced as much as possible, thus reducing costs. Measures to accomplish this reduction include incorporating the inherent strength of each container into the total assembly strength and utilizing a design which leaves a minimum of scrap. Lastly, it is highly desirable that said packing constituents, when not in use, occupy as little space as possible.
European patent No. 0,099,827 describes trays which are inserted between superposed layers of bottles whereby the upper surface of the tray accommodates the bottoms of bottles in recesses and the lower surface of the tray accommodates the upper parts of the bottles in a subjacent level in recesses. The finished stack of superposed filled trays is then held together with a shrinkwrap. However, the recesses for the bottle bottoms and the bottle tops are positioned in such a way that the bottles never touch each other along their side edges. Additionally, the text refers only to glass bottles, which are not subject to bulging or creeping.
PCT patent application number U.S. No. 81/01459 describes a bottle carrier, the lower surface of which is equipped with bottle gripper supports to grasp the neck of bottles and suspend them. The upper surface of the bottle carrier is equipped with an area of bottle seats centered relative to each gripper for receiving the bottoms of upright bottles held in a similar carrier thereabove. No reference is made however to the building of a storage, shipping and display assembly, nor to the building of trays with variable surface areas.
European patent application No. 0,162,162 describes a bottle crate of reduced height whereby the crate is capable of resting on bottles in a subjacent crate through the use of formations depending downwardly from the body of the crate and defining sockets for receiving upper portions of bottles. No reference is made however to forming a storage, shipping and display assembly of variable surface area.
Belgian patent No. 693,216 describes a tray which is equipped with recesses on its upper surface to accommodate one or several bottoms of bottles and with recesses in its under surface to accommodate the top part of bottles already inserted in a subjacent tray. The location of the recesses in the upper or lower surface of the trays can be such that the bottles are kept in upright or slanted position. Individual trays can be attached to each other sidewise by using extra pins. No reference is made, however, to the skillful use of the inherent strength of bottles subject to bulging and creeping to increase the supporting capability of the assembly while reducing the amount of protecting packing material.